During the NAOp phases, low geopotential heights and high SST levels are set along the GOM, bringing southerly winds in winter over south Florida, and in spring over south Florida and the Florida panhandle (Hurrell and Deser, 2009).
The coupling of AMOc and NAOp phases was in place from 1971 through 1994 (first regime, wet); the coupling of AMOw and NAOn phases was in place from 1995 through 2013 (second regime, dry).
Of the 1077 samples associated with Sargassum macroalgae, 284 were collected under the coupling of AMOc and NAOp phases and 793 were collected during the coupling of AMOw and NAOn phases.
Monthly samples collected during 1982-1994 and 1995-2012 were classified under the influence of the couplings of AMOc and NAOp and AMOw and NAOn phases, respectively.
The number of hurricanes that occurred from June to November in the NERR and GOM were enumerated for the periods 1980-1994 (AMOc and NAOp phases) and 1995-2009 (AMOw and NAOn phases).